Virginia Beach’s Tha Real Beachboy Is Making A Case For His Home State

“I show a lot of love because it’s hard for an artist to come out of the 757. It is hard to gain fans because they’re looking for the next big legend and I can respect that, but the people should really give these artists a chance because there’s tons of great music coming from here.”

Check out the interview with Tha Real Beachboy exclusively on Skilly Magazine Online.

Skilly: Where did this all start? Tell us about your journey in the entertainment business.Tha Real Beachboy: I actually started off as a producer working with Fruityloops back in 2005. After I graduated high school I went to IADT (International Academy of Design & Technology) down in Tampa, FL to study recording arts to become an engineer. After a year I dropped out because I wasn’t really as focused as I should have been. I learned a lot learning from other students though. Shout out to Mucci, Brock, Kayo the God, Reese, and Infy because they really helped me polish my skills as an emcee and producer.

What would be your biggest piece of advice for the young kids out there trying to do what you do?
Don’t give up. People will tell you you’re whack and your music is trash. Learn to not give a fuck and always stay true to yourself because it’s not easy being an underground artist. I’ve been in situation where I’m passing out CDs and people tossed my shit in the street. I don’t let that shit get to me because there’s always someone out there that will like what I do and that’s what gives me the drive to keep going.

What are some of the hardest challenges and tasks in your position?
I think the hardest challenge would have to be turning people into believers because there are so many underground artists doing music. People automatically think you’re whack because you’re not signed. People are scared of what’s new to the ear. How many times have you heard a new song and didn’t like it until they played it a 100 times a day on the radio?

We all know the entertainment business is very tough, but what do you find is the best way to promote and advertise your music?
About 40% of your promoting and advertising should be done on social media. Seems like a lot of artists are lazy or scared to get in the people’s faces at events to brand themselves. The best way to brand yourself and promote what you do is by doing it the old fashion way and that’s working the streets and local scene.

Tell us about your city. How are the artists and the fans?
I’m from Virginia Beach, VA. I love my city and the music scene is on the come up. I show a lot of love because it’s hard for an artist to come out of the 757. It is hard to gain fans because they’re looking for the next big legend and I can respect that, but the people should really give these artists a chance because there’s tons of great music coming from here.

Where do you see yourself a year from today?
I see myself in California rocking shows like Coachella; I got big dreams. Next year I plan on being that next big Virginia artist, that’s my dream because it’s so hard to make it out of where I’m from musically. Their some big shoes to fill especially with the major artists that came from here like Pharrell, Timbaland, and Missy.

Who and what were your biggest inspirations? Who do you look up to in today’s world?
A lot of my inspiration comes from the old school soul r&b legends like El Debarge, Teddy Pendergrass, and the 90’s group Jodeci. They all have timeless music and that’s what I like because it has no deadline like a lot of today’s music. Right now I look up to Snoop, I always have. He has transformed as an artist over the years and people everywhere respect him. I want that kind of love because it never dies.

How do you feel about the music coming out today? Do you like it?
Like I said before, there’s too much temporary music being released. Being consistent is key, but artists are not allowing people to soak in the art of a project because they’re dropping mixtapes or albums every other month. I’m trying to be like Dr. Dre, people waited so long to hear music from him and when it finally dropped after almost 15 years they loved it and labeled it as an instant classic.

Where can we contact you and find you online?
You can Google Tha Real Beachboy and you’ll find all my music and social media sites. To make things easy my Twitter and Instagram name is @ThaRealBeachboy. Make sure you put “A” instead of “E” in the word “Tha” to find me, a lot of people get confused and can’t find me.